Typical communications systems are comprised of multiple equipment elements. To accomplish connectivity, these elements include user interface devices, media equipment, signal processing, message processing, and switching. A traditional communication system utilizes distributed memory architecture having multiple processors and associated memory devices. A data bus interconnects the memory devices, such that the data bus lines are tied in parallel to all the memory devices. The read/write line contains a signal that communicates to the memory device that data is to be written to or read from a particular memory. The read/write lines are interconnected together, and information is transmitted in parallel to the memory devices. Data is typically transferred from one memory to another memory in the multi-processor system, and it is not possible to transfer data from one memory to multiple memories simultaneously within the system.
A need has thus arisen for a system to efficiently transfer data from a source multi-processor--s memory to one or more destination multi-processor--s memories in order to accomplish a highly distributed switching system. Such a distribution system must transfer data without requiring direct involvement such as through protocols or handshaking of the source and destination node processors.
A further need has arisen for a distribution system capable of dynamic reconfiguration of distribution patterns.